WORK to repair a riser main affecting a pump house on Riverside Road has begun. The damaged riser main has been the cause of a massive sewage spill into the uMngeni River which has continued unabated for the past three months. Paddlers, residents and local ward councillor, Shaun Ryley, have labelled the spill an ‘environmental disaster’.
The spill has been flowing into the river near the Connaught Bridge.
According to Ryley, the City had begun excavation work on 20 September on Umgeni Road where the riser main is situated.
In other local news: Khabazela Village residents fed-up with sewage leaks
“The City had begun excavation work of riser main, which is buried seven metres underground but the excavation area had to be shored up properly before work can begin. So the timeline for the repair was delayed and though it should never have taken this long, it is encouraging to see action being taken. From what I’ve been told when the City realised the depth of the damaged riser main they realised the in-house steel shoring they had was insufficient and that they needed to order the proper steel shoring which is why it has taken this long to put in place,” he said.
According to newspaper reports, the sewage spill was as a result of vandalism, but Ryley feels that hard to believe.
“In all the explanations given to me by the contractor and the City, vandalism was never mentioned. I find it hard to believe this sewage spill is linked to vandalism as the damaged section is buried so far underground. I have little doubt that vandalism is a problem across other parts of the City however,” Ryley said.
“The important thing is residents are happy to see work is being carried out and the problem is being attended to. I’ve been told the repairs to the riser main will take around two weeks to complete. I think that is optimistic and I wouldn’t be surprised if the repair work took a little bit longer.”
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